Dec 12, 2020
Kenya Independence Day 2020
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates Kenya’s Independence Day, also known as Jamhuri Day (jamhuri means “republic” in Swahili), one of the East African nation’s most significant holidays. December 12 commemorates multiple integral anniversaries in the country’s history: the date in 1963 that Kenya gained independence and joined the Commonwealth, as well as the date in 1964 when the nation officially became a republic.
Depicted in the Doodle artwork is the red-green-and-black striped Kenyan flag, which was adopted the day the nation gained its independence. The black in the flag symbolizes Kenya’s Indigenous population, the red signifies the country’s fight for freedom, the green represents the nation’s abundant natural landscape, and the white stands for peace. Emblazoned at the center of the flag is a set of spears behind a shield depicted in the likeness of those carried by the nation’s Indigenous Maasai people—a nod to the country’s rich cultural heritage.
Happy Jamhuri Day, Kenya!
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